World Cup 2018: Group B Betting & predictions

World Cup 2018: Group B preview

The World Cup always throws up some exciting fixtures and this summer will be no different.

The clash between Spain and Portugal on the 15th June looks set to be one of the matches of the tournament.

Andres Iniesta famously won the World Cup for Spain late in extra time back in 2010 but the side has completely changed since then.

Iker Casillas has been replaced by Manchester United’s David De Gea and Spain’s attack is nowhere near as deadly as it was with the parternship of David Villa and Fernando Torres.

Spain beat Portugal 1-0 in South Africa eight years ago before knocking them out on penalties two years later, at Euro 2012.

How will Cristiano Ronaldo fare at the World Cup?

All eyes will of course be firmly planted on Cristiano Ronaldo who never fails to put on a show when the world is watching.

Portugal are certainly not just a one-man team, proven by their 1-0 win in the Euro 2016 final over France where Ronaldo was stretchered off early in the first half.

The two European sides are joined by Morocco and Iran in a group that looks fairly easy to predict.

Can Morocco & Iran cause an upset?

Morocco and Iran may choose to line up defensively and frustrate their opponents but it would be a major shock if Spain and Portugal didn’t qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament.

Juventus’ Medhi Benatia will face his former team-mate, Thiago, when Morocco take on Spain and Southampton fans will keep a close eye on Morocco’s matches, hoping that Sofiane Boufal can impress.

Iran manager Carlos Quieroz worked closely with Cristiano Ronaldo when he was Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant manager at Manchester United but in all honesty, there is little that can be done to stop Ronaldo when he is in the mood.

Portugal’s key men

Ronaldo scored an incredible 15 goals in qualification for the World Cup whilst 22 year old Andre Silva chipped in with a further 9.

William Carvalho will play in central midfield and break down opposition attacks before helping to get the ball forward to Ronaldo and Co.

Morocco

Morocco will be at the World Cup finals for the 5th time in their history this summer.

The 1976 AFCON winners are captained by Juventus’ Medhi Benatia and boast some great attacking talent including Southampton’s Sofiane Boufal (pictured above).

Morocco qualified for the tournament without losing a single match but did draw three of their matches 0-0.

It will be interesting to see how Spain and Portugal try to break down Morocco’s stern defence which could make them dark horses in Group B if there is to be a shock early exit for one of the European sides.

Morocco haven’t appeared in the World Cup finals since 1998 and have only once qualified from the group stage of the tournament.

That one occasion came in 1986 when they were paired with Poland, England and this year’s opponents, Portugal.